UTSA hosts Nov. 4 plays, workshop on arts curricula

(Nov. 3, 2005)--The University of Texas at San Antonio Bicultural-Bilingual Studies Program and the UTSA Academy for Teacher Excellence will host a workshop and two short play performances at 6 p.m., Friday, Nov. 4 at the Buena Vista Theater (1.326), UTSA Downtown Campus.

The purpose of the evening's events is to entertain and educate future bilingual teachers on ways to incorporate culture and heritage into curricula. The events are free and open to the public.

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Two plays, "Naranja Dulce, Limon Celeste" and "La Pastorela Mexicana," will feature popular music and songs from Mexican culture, as well as rhymes, comedy and proverbs. The plays will be followed by a teaching workshop conducted by Petty Maldonado, an attorney and philosophy faculty member at Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Monterrey, Mexico.

The workshop will offer teachers ways to identify the richness and history of students' cultures and integrate arts, culture and heritage into a curriculum.

Maldonado wrote the play, "Naranja Dulce, Limon Celeste," which focuses on how to celebrate dia de los muertos (Day of the Dead) with respect and pride.

The second play, "La Pastorela Mexicana," tells an original story from the perspective of Mexican ranchers. The play, performed by children ages 6 to 16, is directed by Maldonado.